That tip helped Montgomery County investigators crush a “family-type” methamphetamine trafficking organization, which allegedly operated in Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. A total of 32 people, many of whom lived in Hatfield, Schwenksville, Lansdale, Gilbertsville, Phoenixville, Royersford, Lower Providence, Limerick, North Wales, Blue Bell and Philadelphia, have been charged with corrupt organizations or drug violations for their alleged roles in the operation as distributors, users or pushers of the expensive drug.

“In this case, I received an old-fashioned letter. It was an anonymous complaint identifying suspected methamphetamine distribution in a part of Montgomery County,” said District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who turned the letter over to the county’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, which launched an investigation.

“That anonymous letter started the genesis of this entire investigation,” added Ferman, pointing to the importance of citizen tips and complaints.

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Members of the NET agency worked closely with police in Souderton, Lansdale, Hatfield, Lower Providence and the Drug Enforcement Agency branch in Philadelphia to gather enough evidence to obtain state Superior Court approval for wiretaps on the cellphones of two alleged targets of the investigation, Francesco “Frank” Messina, of the 700 block of Schwab Road, Hatfield, and Troy Dudas, of the 100 block of Mine Run Road, Limerick, between February 8 and 29, according to court papers.

“Which revealed a family-type methamphetamine trafficking business in the county. The detective called it ‘a family affair’ because there were relatives who were involved, a very close knit group of both drug dealers and drug users and they operated very closely together,” Ferman explained.

Among the targets were brothers Jeffrey and David Penna who used and distributed methamphetamine from Jeffrey Penna’s residence in the 1200 block of Cabin Road in Hatfield Township, authorities alleged. The Penna brothers were joined by Messina in the distribution network, according to court papers. David Penna resided in the 1800 block of Valley Forge Road in Lansdale, according to court documents.

Messina allegedly used and distributed methamphetamine to several people including his own sister-in-law, Lisa Messina, of the 2500 block of Morris Road, Lansdale, prosecutors alleged. Conversations between Frank and Lisa Messina, allegedly detailing their method of operation in the distribution and use of the drug, were intercepted by authorities, court papers indicate.

The investigation also revealed links to a Philadelphia methamphetamine distribution ring allegedly headed by brothers Juan and Antonio Encarnacion, according to court documents.

While in many drug trafficking operations the focus is on the money, “in this case for many of the dealers the focus was on getting the drugs themselves,” Ferman alleged.

“Many of the dealers themselves were addicted to crystal meth just as severely as the users,” Ferman alleged.

“This case became a high priority due to public safety concerns surrounding the distribution and use of such a hazardous and dangerous drug,” Ferman said.

The investigation did not uncover a methamphetamine manufacturing facility in the county. However, the investigation uncovered that “there was a significant amount of the drug that was being trafficked through the county,” Ferman said.

The wiretap interceptions resulted in 14 searches of properties throughout Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. One of those locations was “Cosmo Motors”, a large auto-body shop at 101 E. Blaine St., Lansdale, which was linked to Messina.

During the searches authorities seized quantities of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and less than a dozen firearms, prosecutors alleged. About a half-ounce of the drug was confiscated from one of the targets at the time of his arrest, authorities alleged.

While large quantities of the drug were not confiscated during the investigation, authorities said the dismantling of the organization is still very “significant.”

“In terms of seizure, we actually took off the streets less than you see us take off in some other cases and I suspect the reason for that is it’s moving so quickly, whatever they’re getting they’re selling quickly and it’s being used very quickly,” Ferman alleged. “You don’t have the stockpile that you often have with some other cases. In this case, what we saw was it was just moving back to the street very quickly and people were using it.”

“That’s part of the significance of the dealers also being addicted. It’s more than just a business to make money. It’s a drug that’s being sold for profit and for access to the drug itself,” Ferman alleged.

Assistant District Attorney Tonya Lupinacci, who is prosecuting the case, said the drug is “very expensive” and has a street value of about $500 a gram.

Co-prosecutor Jason Whalley alleged one of the suspects charged about $1,800 for a half ounce of the drug on the street.

The defendants were arraigned before District Court Judge Andrea Duffy in Montgomeryville. Preliminary hearings for the alleged drug offenders are scheduled for 10 a.m. May 11.